Design in Colour
We're half way through the Festival, but there's still plenty of time to explore the best design London has to offer, not least of which is Ten Designers in the West Wing at Somerset House. And since new events and Design Destinations are opening every day, there's still much more to experience.
Today, 100% Design returns for its 21st edition in a brand new home, Olympia London. This year's theme is 'Design in Colour', and the fair is packed with visual and sensual interiors experiences heightened by colour. |
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To mark our brand new Festival partnership, Somerset House plays host to an exhibition featuring the work of ten celebrated designers within the effortlessly elegant spaces of the recently renovated West Wing. The exhibition opened on Monday to considerable fanfare as many of the designers were in attendance to talk through their new products and installations.
In the West Wing, Luca Nichetto nods towards playful interaction with a colourful display of his modular Alphabeta lamps, each connected to a grand piano, causing the lights to illuminate as the piano is played. Providing a much-needed space for relaxation amidst the hustle and bustle of the Festival, Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby offer an intimate reading room filled with pieces from their Knoll collection. Alex Rasmussen has brought a little bit of California sunshine to Somerset House with his enormous blue wave, constructed from 700 anodized aluminum panels.
Also taking the interactive approach, Tino Schaedler encourages visitors to get hands on with the Festival's first ever Virtual Reality experience. Ross Lovegrove looks at the convergence of Art, Design and Technology with a special installation of 100 unique anodised MUO wireless speakers. Arik Levy teams up with Tabanlioglu Architects for a collaboration to explore the binaries light and solid, dry and wet, warm and cold. |
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Also in the West Wing, cult pattern pioneers PATTERNITY present a playfully interactive version of their bold graphic designs in collaboration with Paperless Post. A characteristically minimal installation from nendo shows off their Nest shelves. Punkt. brings simplicity back to the mobile phone with the new MP 01 design by Jasper Morrison. Faye Toogood re-imagines The Drawing Room with an impressive installation that evokes a derelict country house.
Pop by Somerset House and take in not only the beautiful new spaces in the West Wing, but also this impressive showcase of creativity and the very best in contemporary design and production. |
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Interiors and Workplace
Interiors brings the best contemporary design from around the world, including 57 new lighting products by Original BTC, all made entirely in Britain. The only dedicated workplace show in the UK, Workplace presents the UK launch of Konstantin Grcic's new Hack table system and more. |
Kitchens & Bathrooms and
Design & Build
Kitchen & Bathrooms exhibitor Cosentino Group celebrates the 25th anniversary of its Silestone® quartz surfaces with a new colourway designed by celebrated architect Brunette Fracarolli, also present at the show. Design & Build offers a comprehensive resourcing point for Architects & Designers. |
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International Pavilions and
Emerging Brands
Representing design talent from around the globe, this year's International Pavilions include a showcase of traditional and contemporary craftsmanship from Argentina; Slovenian design; and a display of products from 50 major Chinese cities. Emerging Brands presents the UK’s strongest platform for newly established design talent. |
Talks with 100% Design
This year Talks with 100% Design examines the power of colour. Speakers include Ilse Crawford, Lyndon Neri, Yves Béhar and Winy Maas. The auditorium has been designed by textile artist Anne Kyyrö Quinn, supported by Camira Fabrics. A second stage, The Forum, will also host a full programme of talks, delivering practical advice to designers. |
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| Special Events at the V&A and Bankside Design District |
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The Global Design Forum continues today as Erwan and Rowan Bouroullec bring their 20 years of insider knowledge to the table for a Global Design Forum Masterclass. The pair will discuss their new TV for Samsung, recently debuted at Somerset House among other previous projects. Register here
Also today, makers take over the V&A with various events, including a panel discussion with MADE.COM on the effects of digital technologies in mainstream design, a debate about why slow design matters with FRONT followed by a workshop with award-winning designer Jan Kath. There's also a panel discussion about Fixing Attitudes to making and repairing with Fixperts & Benchmark and an artist's talk by Alex Chinneck on the story behind A Bullet From A Shooting Star.
Tonight is also the late night opening for the Bankside Design District. Many showrooms will stay open late, in addition to a fantastic programme of design-led activities including talks and meet-the-designer events. |
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Digital and Sound
Vitsoe illustrates its quiet rejection of novelty for novelty's sake with its Listening Room installation: new sounds curated by The Wire amongst Dieter Rams's furniture and Postcard Teas. Rediscover the experience of play with the London College of Fashion's Polyphonic Playground LAB. Find out what domestic spaces sound like in Haeyoun Kim's installation at the MADE.COM showroom, Sounds Like Home.
At designjunction, Tylko unveils a new way to design and purchase bespoke furniture through their easy-to-use app. Takram, a design and engineering studio based in Tokyo and London, experiments with the possibilities of geographically-detached communication at SPACE. MORE |
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Furniture and Lighting
Wrong for Hay creates a special installation of the WH lighting collection in the atrium space of The College building. Drawing inspiration from 1980s pop culture, modern-day Africa and mid-century America, Habitat launches its new collection in its King's Road store.
Showing at 100% Design, a group of Icelandic designers band together to exhibit as North Limited. Also at 100%, the new colours, decors and textures of the 2015 Formica Collection will be presented, as will three critically-acclaimed collections for Sé designed by Nika Zupanc, Jaime Hayón and Damien Langlois-Meurinne.
Back at The College, Herman Miller displays a collection of furniture pieces by New York designer, Ward Bennett. Focusing on tactility, French interior and furniture design brand Liaigre unveil new pieces with a tactile twist. The Conran Shop showcases a curated selection of iconic names and emerging innovators. MORE |
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Multi-disciplinary
Global branding firm Lippincott question the power of the bond between people and brands in Like me: Our bond with brands at the Design Museum. At 19 Greek Street, The Art of Progress considers how design can change the world. Pioneering community start-up and retail space Pop Brixton celebrates the Brixton Design Trail with a series of events.
Communications studio four23 investigates the reality of information overload with Born of Attention, a participatory exhibition. To celebrate 100% Design's theme 'Design in Colour' Studio Design have created a colour-filled central show bar. Anthropologie host an exhibition of London landscapes by Barbara Macfarlane. A little bit of Canada comes to London with the exhibition, Design in Canada: Outstanding Achievement from British Columbia. At the RCA's Battersea campus, an exhibition presents design research On the Frontline of innovation in healthcare services, community care and social inclusion. MORE
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| Enter our competitions the latest Montblanc M fountain pen designed by Marc Newson; a one year V&A Membership for you and a guest; an Ashley Rucksack by Ally Capellino; a one night stay for two people at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Bloomsbury Street hotel; a Speedball Deluxe Screen Printing Kit with a copy of the book Low-Tech Print by Caspar Williams in collaboration with Cass Art; a heavy metal light pendant with a Buster LED Light Bulb and a mix set Candle Holder with Buster + Punch; and 5 tickets to the Buster + Punch VIP closing party on Friday 25 September. |
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| The London Design Festival 2015 is supported by: |
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